Trials and Tribulations
by Full Power
Summary: Rendered amnesiac during the battle with his brother and the demon king of earth, Raditz suddenly recalls no reason to leave the blue planet. With his Saiyan comrades presuming him dead and headed to Earth to retrieve the Dragon Balls, Raditz sets out to become a true Saiyan warrior, much like he will eventually find his brother to be...
1. Chapter 1: Critical Hit

_Saiyan Saga (Raditz Arc) – Part One: Critical Hit_

Spinach Wastes. Normally, this section of the Earth was quiet, dead silent aside from animals crossing, water flowing, and creatures of different types feeding their newborn. It was the true definition of peace and serenity. For those who wanted a break from the busy city life, areas like this out in the country were perfect to just lay back, stare at the blue sky above, and take in the quietness. One would assume that on this warm October day, the same would hold up.

"Die, Kakarot!"

This loud request came from a long-haired, armored warrior by the name of Raditz, who hovered above the green grass with his arms crossed tightly, a cruel and furious scowl planted on his face. Feeling a slight sting, Raditz looked at his arms. Small cuts lined his skin, causing red bumps to appear, but Raditz wasn't concerned, not in the least bit. With a quick trip to the rejuvenation tank, they would heal with no problem. What wouldn't heal, however, was his anger and newfound hatred for his brother.

Raditz looked at his brother intensely, spitting at the disgusting sight. The younger's chest was exposed, the bright orange gi torn in several places. Raditz's brother, Kakarot, had arrived at the wasteland determined to rescue his young son, Gohan. Along the way, Kakarot had teamed up with a Namekian, the same Namek that Raditz had encountered when he landed on this planet.

But why hate his brother? How could one hate a sibling, bred from the same kind of cloth as he? It was a simple reason, one that was very easy to understand. Kakarot had wasted Raditz's time, and worse, he had betrayed him. Kakarot had turned his back on the only family that he had left, and for that, he would die.

All Raditz had done was almost beg for people to find Saiyan survivors, to find someone who he could truly connect with and fight alongside. It had taken some time, but someone had finally found the location of a Saiyan; pleased, Raditz decided that he would come to this pathetic mudball in the, as his Saiyan comrades had referred to it as, "space boonies" looking for his brother, who went by the name of Kakarot.

Sent to Earth as a baby and tasked with the objective of eliminating a race where the strongest known power level was in the low 300s, the Saiyan known as Kakarot would have had to be alive; after all, he was part of the strongest warrior race in the galaxy. As soon as Raditz had learned about Kakarot being on Earth, the long-haired fighter experienced a small amount of joy for the first time in a long time. Not only would he have another Saiyan to fight alongside him, but it was his brother. For a Saiyan, there were few better feelings in the world than to fight alongside your siblings in the heat of battle.

When Raditz stared his brother in the face for the first time on some island in the middle of nowhere, he took note of the fact that he resembled Bardock in all but name and clothing, which pleased him even more. After all, Bardock was always known as one of the strongest low-class Saiyans, so there was justified reason for the alien fighter to be optimistic. Of course, Raditz would soon learn that fate had decided to truly smack him in the face.

Sure, Kakarot was still alive, but he wasn't Kakarot, not the Kakarot that Raditz had envisioned, at least. What Raditz was imagining was a tall, proud warrior who was as fight-loving, audacious, and powerful – if not more powerful – as himself. Instead, Kakarot was peace-loving, nice, and worst of all…he no longer went by the name of Kakarot.

His name was "Goku" and not only had he not completed his objective and purged Earth, but he fancied himself an Earthling, not a Saiyan. It was almost as if Kakarot was an alter ego that this Goku had thrown to the side proudly, embracing his adopted heritage instead of his true race.

All it took for Kakarot's Saiyan side to come out, actually, was kidnapping his weakling son. Pitiful…Raditz could attack Kakarot and his bald friend, but it took kidnapping his son to get a real reaction. Earlier, Raditz had mused to himself that at the age that Kakarot's brat was at, the boy would have already have purged several planets, and would have been a fit Saiyan warrior. Again…pitiful.

Yet, and he would probably never admit it, there was a small part of Raditz that was impressed at his little brother's resilience and his inability to give up. It was annoying, yes, but as he stared at the bloody, near-beaten form of Kakarot, Raditz realized that even though the youngest son of Bardock claimed he wasn't Saiyan, there was no doubt that his true Saiyan side came out in battles.

_It truly is a damn shame that Kakarot didn't wish to join me…sad, he would have made a powerful recruit in Frieza's army,_ Raditz thought to himself, frowning at the thought of the Arcosian tyrant.

"Yah!" a voice snapped Raditz out of his monologue. Looking up, the long-haired Saiyan saw his brother running at him like an Olympic sprinter out of the gate, his fist reared back and a determined look on his face. Sweat ran down Goku's face and body, giving him the appearance of someone who had just fallen into a pool.

When Goku phased in front of Raditz, the orange-clad warrior extended his fist, hoping that he could get in the first good hit of the day on his older brother. Having put all of his strength into this one punch, Goku was shocked when Raditz, nonchalantly, grabbed his fist mid attack.

"Y-you did that like it was nothing!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes widening. "You monster…let go!"

"Hahaha! And why, brother, would I do that? Please, tell me why I'd let go," Raditz laughed, smirking as he watched his younger brother try to squirm free.

"You're…not, my brother, Raditz. You're a monster, and I'd be embarrassed to call you my brother! All you do is hurt people," Goku grunted. As the Earth's protector opened his mouth again, presumably to insult his older brother once more, Raditz sent his other fist into Goku's chest.

Held in place by his older brother's hand, Goku was unable to defend himself from Raditz's attack. As a result, Goku spat crimson colored blood out involuntarily, making noises as he did so. Unfortunately, just as Goku wanted a reprieve, Raditz picked him up by his torn gi, lifted him, and held him in the sky.

"How dare you!" Raditz yelled, squeezing tighter on Goku's hand. The Earth-raised Saiyan yelped in pain, blood still running down his mouth, but Raditz wouldn't budge. "How dare you say to me, 'you're not my brother' after I risked my life to come here! You should be thanking me and joining with me, Kakarot. Imagine the power that we'd have! We could rule the galaxy!" Raditz smirked at the idea upon saying it, but once he looked at his brother's onyx, nervous eyes, his scowl formed again.

"Instead, you blame me for your weak power level and your inability to save your son…pathetic," Raditz spat on his brother, who grimaced up on impact. "Kakarot, you're no Saiyan."

"I wouldn't want to be…" Goku muttered, looking his brother dead in the eyes; onyx meeting onyx. "You're right, Raditz, I'm not a Saiyan. I'm an Earthling, and I take pride in that!"

Raditz grit his teeth, growling like a wild beast. "Is that so?" the long-haired fighter questioned, tightening his grip on Goku. In one fluid motion, Raditz lobbed Goku up in the sky like a softball, grabbed his brother by the hair, and smacked him down to the ground with a loud BOOM.

"Damn it, Goku!" Piccolo yelled from his spot on the grass. The pickle-colored warrior stood with his lone arm near his forehead, continuing to charge his attack. Sweat ran down Piccolo's forehead as he frowned at what was taking place in front of him.

A stronger opponent was humiliating Goku, the spiky-haired abomination who always seemed invincible and unbeatable; of course, it frustrated Piccolo that _he_ wasn't that stronger opponent. How could someone have appeared out of nowhere and played with Goku and Piccolo, the two strongest warriors on Earth, and humiliated them the way that he did? It was unfathomable, and Piccolo continued to be stunned to no end.

"You can't let him win, Son!" Piccolo cried loudly. Piccolo had never thought that he'd have been have rooting for Goku, the man who was the sole reason that Piccolo had been birthed, but drastic times called for drastic measures. That old saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my best friend" could not have been truer here.

"Haha, but on the contrary, Namekian, there's nothing that this moron can do!" Raditz taunted, kicking Goku away. The sound of a bone breaking echoed through the wasteland, along with another moan from Goku. Piccolo may not have liked Goku, but even he couldn't resist flinching at the noise.

"You're a fool, Saiyan. Coming to Earth was the biggest mistake that you could have made," Piccolo grinned, fantasizing about breaking Raditz's neck as revenge for taking his arm. The warrior Namekian was really starting to hate this Raditz fellow even more than he hated Goku, which was odd, considering Goku had been the recipient of much hatred ever since his creation. "This planet is mine to rule, so if you think that you can just come here, guns blazing and ready to take over Earth, then you're wrong!"

"Ruling a tiny, weak, and boring planet as this is something I don't think I'm too interested in. That'd be a waste of time, and that's time I don't have. I know that you must be anxious to die, green man, and your time will come, don't worry. I know that I'm definitely going to enjoy crushing your head beneath my boot so say your prayers now. But, I'm going to need you to wait, because first, it's time for Kakarot to pay his debts," Raditz remarked, trying to get a reaction out of the Namekian. Unfortunately for the Saiyan, he got none, other than a smirk from Piccolo.

"Ughh," Goku moaned as he slowly rose from the ground, his hair moving in the wind. The pain rushing through his body was unbearable, but Goku wouldn't back down; he just couldn't with everything that was at stake. He had been in this exact same spot before with King Piccolo, where the stakes were against him and his body wanted him to quit, but he wouldn't. "You…won't win. I have to save Gohan!"

"Gohan?" Raditz asked, cocking his head to the side. Realizing that Kakarot meant his son, Raditz reared his head back and laughed. "You mean that pampered little brat you call a son? Please, you're not saving him from anything. To do that, you'd need to get past me, and if you have two brain cells that you could rub together, you'd realize that the chances of that happening are none! It's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible," replied Goku, taking a step forward. The blood on his arms and chest was beginning to dry, but the Saiyan was still in a world of pain. Regardless, he wouldn't give up; no way, no how. "And if you think I'm going to let you walk away with Gohan, then you're wrong, Raditz!"

Again, Raditz frowned at his brother's comment. His brother was an annoying pest, continuing to say the same things about how he would save his son and defeat him. Why couldn't Kakarot just realize that he was out of his league and that he should give up? Why continue to waste his time and walk right into the face of death? It didn't make sense! "You mean that, don't you? I admit, brother, you've disappointed me greatly. Kakarot…I find it so ironic that you have that as a name. You wouldn't know this, of course, but in the Saiyan language, Kakarot means 'a great warrior' and you've been just the opposite."

Goku had no response to his brother's taunt, which wasn't shocking in the least bit. Still, Goku felt a little…odd, on the inside. Learning what his real birth name - no, what the name that he was addressed as by his brother – meant was strange, if only because he had never heard the name Kakarot before today.

"Come now, Kakarot," Raditz said, his scowl turning upwards into a smirk. "It's time for you to die! Before I kill you, I just want to let you know something. You may be my brother, but you've proven to be quite irritating! However, it's upsetting I must kill one of the few Saiyans left in the galaxy."

"Why's that?" asked Goku, confused. The Earth-raised Saiyan kept his guard up, though, and glared at the long-haired fighter that he called his brother. "If you have no problems with killing me, then why are you 'upset' that you have to do it? You don't seem like the guy that would care about eliminating his brother if it was called for."

Raditz grunted and took a step forward. "Counting you, there's four known Saiyans left in the galaxy. Four. That's less than the amount of people that were on that island I found you on. I came here, hoping that I could find you so that you could join my comrades and I. If you're not with me, then you're my enemy!" the ground shook as Raditz powered up briefly, allowing Goku to feel just how powerful his brother was. "I believe that your son will be an adequate replacement for you and a welcome addition to our army."

"Hahaha," Raditz quietly laughed, phasing out of sight. Looking around and trying to find his brother, Goku widened his eyes, got into a fighting stance, and tried to reach out with his ki, sensing for any fluctuations in Raditz's energy.

THACK!

The next thing Goku knew, there was a painful stab in his back, one so painful that he suddenly fell to both of his knees. The blood spilling out of his mouth fell onto the grass, making a noise akin to paint dropping. As hard as he wanted to stand and not fall, it was impossible; the pain was just too much.

Looking up, Goku stared right into the menacing eyes of his brother. "It's over, Kakarot. I hope that you're ready to be sent to the next dimension!" Raditz said, pride sounding in his voice. The fighter bent down on one knee and put his hand an inch away from his brother's face, taking note of the fear that momentarily appeared in Kakarot's eyes.

Seeing fear in someone's eyes always made Raditz's blood rush. To him, drawing fear from someone made him feel proud; it made him feel as if for a second, he was able to escape the label of weakling that had been bestowed on him by his comrades and his superiors. For over thirty years, he'd always been mocked because of his strength, so to win a fight that wasn't against, as his prince put it, "weaklings with power levels below fifty," Raditz was proving his worth.

On the other spectrum, his younger brother was experiencing the opposite of pride. As much as it pained him to admit it, Goku had failed. He had been tasked with the job of defeating this alien invader, defeating the man who claimed to be his brother, and saving his son from his brother's clutches. Sadness echoed through him briefly, but then, as he saw Raditz's tail wagging – probably from excitement – an idea came to him.

"Goodbye, brother."

Goku closed his eyes, which made Raditz's smirk grow even larger. Kakarot feared death and didn't want to see the blast that would hit him, consume him, and then destroy him. Raditz nearly threw up at that fact; Saiyans feared nothing, especially not a death that they deserved! It was unheard of!

In his moment of savoring his imminent victory, Raditz forgot to do the one thing he constantly preached in his fights: he took his eye off of the birdie. If he hadn't, he would have seen Goku bring his hands close to the center of his face, spreading his fingers towards his eyes in the process.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

The Solar Flare was always one of Goku's favorite techniques because it could be used at any time. The Solar Flare could blind an opponent with ease, and in the midst of battle when you were on the brink of defeat, a simple Solar Flare could turn the tide of the battle easily, which was what happened here.

"AGH!" screeched Raditz, putting his hands to his eyes to fight the pain coming from his eyes. Even though he wore a scouter to protect his eye, Raditz was still blinded by Goku's technique. As Raditz stepped backwards, cursing to himself in the Saiyan language, his prey left the lion's den.

The arrogance and cockiness that Raditz had always possessed came back to bite him badly, as evidenced when Goku, ignoring all of the pain in his body from his wounds, jumped up and grabbed Raditz by the tail, squeezing tightly like it was a rope.

Raditz's screaming suddenly stopped as the pain in his eyes was replaced by pain everywhere. Biting his lip, he turned his head around to Kakarot and glared. Raditz had always been ridiculed by his Saiyan comrades for never taking the time to train his tail, and this was why. Once his tail was squeezed, he lost all of his power and was in agonizing, indescribable pain.

"Huh? What did you…" asked Raditz, widening his eyes when he saw the playful look on Goku's face.

"Look at that, I got your tail!" Goku exclaimed, holding the tail tightly. His strength quickly leaving him, Raditz fell to the ground face first, only being held by his tail.

"Piccolo, do it!" Goku called over to his Namekian teammate, who stood in the same stance as before with a smirk similar to the Cheshire cat on his face and one stump of an arm hanging loosely.

"Heh, you asked for it, Goku. I hope that this Saiyan is ready," Piccolo mumbled, his fingers sparkling with the energy from his Special Beam Cannon. Designed to kill Goku, it was a perfect attack to kill Goku's brother; it was a brutal, spiraling beam that would leave Raditz on his deathbed, trying desperately to survive and to breath but failing miserably. As they felt themselves suffocate from the blood loss, Piccolo would stand over them, laughing and taunting them for their weakness.

That was the type of death that Piccolo wanted Goku, his lifelong opponent, to suffer; he even had dreams about it during his meditation periods. While Goku wouldn't be suffering that fate today, Raditz would do…for now. After he took care of Raditz, Goku was next, and then planet Earth.

"Let…me…go, brother. Please, spare me, Kakarot!" begged Raditz, but Goku would hear none of it.

"No way! I'm nothing like you, Raditz! You're not my brother! You've caused to much pain, and you just threatened me with death! What's to say that you won't do that again?" Goku questioned, squeezing so hard that his knuckles were turning blue.

"Please…let me go. If you do, I promise you, I'll leave this planet right now! I'll get in my pod and leave!" Raditz was showing his true colors now. When he had the advantage in battle, he was loud and ruthless, mocking his opponents to no end. Once Raditz was in a no-win situation, however, and he found himself on the losing end, that all would change.

For someone who prided himself on being a 'true' Saiyan, Raditz was nothing more than a coward at heart. The ironic part of that was true Saiyans never showed fear of any sorts or had any type of cowardice. "Please, Kakarot," Raditz said in a weak voice; his voice was so quiet, it sounded like he was nearly dying.

"No, Goku, you can't! He's only telling lies!" Piccolo screamed, trying to knock some sense into the Saiyan warrior he had teamed up with. Unfortunately for Piccolo, Goku was in his own little world.

_Maybe…maybe I should let him go. If he's living up to his word, then I don't see any reason to keep this up. Not to mention…he's my brother,_ Goku thought internally; the Saiyan was very conflicted. All of the lessons about forgiveness and moving on that his adopted grandfather had told him were rushing back to him, and for a split second, Goku eased up on his hold of Raditz.

"NO!" Piccolo shouted, seeing Goku's grip lessen. The Namekian cursed himself for not being ready to deliver the attack, and for Goku being foolish enough to let Raditz free from his hold.

Being the recipient of the grip being eased, Raditz smirked as he felt his strength return to him. Without a second to spare, the tall Saiyan delivered an elbow to his brother's face and dusted himself off while Goku fell to the grass.

"I can't believe you fell for something like that! You really are embarrassing, Kakarot," stated Raditz as he slammed his boot down onto Goku's body, aiming specifically for his ribs.

"AHH!" Goku's screams carried all over the wasteland as his ribs were slowly crushed and broken by Raditz, who was grinning evilly. Raising his foot high in the air again, Raditz stomped as hard as he could onto the same spot.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

With every stomp, Raditz intensified his power so that he could cause his younger brother the utmost pain. The bones continued to break and leave the formations that they were in; Goku coughed up red blood involuntarily onto his chest as the pain continued. Yellow bruises started forming on his chest, and just as Goku moved to the side, Raditz kicked him for a final time; this kick nearly went through Goku's chest.

Panting, Goku lay on his back, staring into the menacing, laughing eyes of his smiling brother. Slowly, Goku realized that there'd be no more miracles, nothing to save him this time; the Earth-raised Saiyan, astoundingly, was all out of energy.

Raditz silently raised his boot again, smirked, and slammed it down onto Goku's right arm. The sound of a bone cracking was the only noise in the area, and for good reason. Goku, the previously unbeatable fighter, was being humiliated both physically and mentally.

The next noise was a small whimper from Goku, who was trying to stay conscious. Hearing the sound, Raditz scoffed and glared at his younger brother. "There will be no complaining from you, Kakarot, so I recommend that you be quiet." Rearing his boot back, the Saiyan kicked his brother in the same arm as hard as before. Goku's arm limply hung at his side, showing signs of serious injury. "Or else."

* * *

"Daddy!" Gohan screamed as loud as he could, but it was to no avail. The space pod that he was trapped in seemed to be soundproof; no one could hear what he said on the inside. The wall that prevented him from escaping to the outer world was frustrating for young Son Gohan, and his tiny fists ached from pounding against the door over and over again, desperately trying to get either his daddy or the green man to save him.

Alas, for poor Gohan, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The tall man, who evidently was Gohan's uncle, had kidnapped him and carried the young child away a prisoner. This wasn't the day that the tail-possessing child had envisioned when he had woken up at sunrise, anxious for the day ahead of him.

And up to his kidnapping, Gohan was having a great day! He got to meet his father's friends, shake hands with his father's martial arts master, ride on a talking turtle; it was the kind of day that Gohan would write home about.

Then, his 'uncle' showed up. Gohan was petrified beyond belief at the tall, lanky, evil man that taunted his father. Gohan's daddy was supposed to be the strongest in the universe and a man who was afraid of nothing, so how was it that this mysterious stranger could strike such fear to him?

Even though those outside the pod couldn't hear young Gohan, he could hear them, and he definitely heard his father's cries and pleas for help.

It angered Gohan greatly, watching his father be brutally tortured in front of him; no child should ever have to have seen what Gohan had seen on this October day. The child felt helpless, almost like _he_ was the reason that his father was on the brink of death. If he hadn't gone and got himself kidnapped, the father and son duo would be back in their quiet home in the mountains, Gohan reading and Goku eating.

CRACK!

Even from his position in the pod, Gohan could hear the pain-filled screams from his father; it was almost as if the two were connected, as Gohan shook in fear and horror. His uncle's loud laughs sounded like they were echoing in the pod and in the boy's head.

"Dad…Daddy!" Gohan yelled at the top of his lungs, smashing his fists against the glass as fast as he could, hoping to try to make a dent. Dried tears and snot filled his face, and the Dragon Ball on top of his hat was shaking.

Suddenly, something snapped in the young half-breed. The self-control that he had desperately been holding onto was destroyed, being cut like scissors to a rope. Gohan's fists clenched, his onyx pupils vanished, and a barely visible aura began to surround the boy…

* * *

"Yes, Kakarot! Cry in pain! This is the end for you, my brother! I hope that you're enjoying this, green man, because you're next!" Raditz laughed as he took pleasure in hearing his brother's cries of agony. To Raditz's surprise, the scouter started to beep loudly. Pressing a button, Raditz decided to see what it was saying.

"A power level of 1300!? What, where?" Raditz yelled in a mixture of shock and curiosity. Anyone who had a power level of 1300 was stronger than him! All of a sudden, a loud noise came from the space pod that was currently in the middle of the wasteland.

Suddenly, the figure of Goku's young son appeared out of nowhere. "LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!" Gohan yelled, breaking the space pod and jumping out. His young face filled with dry tears and snot, Gohan clenched his fists angrily while glaring at his supposed uncle. His trademark hat – the one with the Dragon Ball on top – fell softly to the ground.

"What? You again? I don't believe it!" Raditz was shocked, as was everyone else on the battlefield. "It can't be!" the Saiyan continued, taking his boot off of Goku's body and backing up.

"Goku, look, over by the crater! It's your son!" Piccolo cried out in amazement.

"Go…han…" Goku said weakly, his vision fading in and out from the combination of blood loss and his injuries. It was hard for the Saiyan to stay awake, let alone see. "Gohan, listen…I can't get up right now! You need to get out of here now! RUN!"

"W-what? A power level 1370! That's impossible for a kid! A-and w-what's this? It's still going up!?" Raditz meekly said. The arrogant fighter was about ready to break his scouter in frustration as he figured out that the little kid in the odd as all hell outfit – the same kid who had a power level of five last time he checked – had somehow, someway gotten stronger then him.

A red aura began to surround Gohan as he continued to whimper. The long-haired boy was ready to save his father, and show his uncle that the Son family was not to be messed with. He may have been five, but he _would _save his daddy!

"STOP IT! LEAVE MY DAD ALONE!" Gohan screamed, running towards Raditz and jumping into the air. With his aura carrying him, Gohan slammed harshly into Raditz's temple. There was a loud crack, and Raditz's body lurched back. After a short moment of complete silence, he fell to the ground with a heavy thud and lay still.

And just like that, the fight had ended…

* * *

_Welcome to Trials and Tribulations. First off, I gotta thank my soundboard of authors (and my awesome fangirls) – Kimiru Maki, ImaginaryInk, and FireStorm1991, who have served on advisors on this. Check out all of their works; they're all awesome people…crazy, but awesome._

_Anyways, this is kind a side fic to Second Chance, which I really haven't had the muse lately for. Right now, I kind of want to just go slow with SC so that I can put out the best product. No hiatus or anything, but I don't wanna put crap out. _

_Main premise of this is Raditz gets amnesia because of that divergence, things change, blah blah. Movie villains will appear, and most of the ideas that got scrapped for SC will probably appear here. That doesn't mean Bardock will appear…ok, that's a lie, because he'll be in like flashbacks but not as a main character._

_Yes, I know that this isn't exactly how the fight went in canon, but I really didn't want to do an entire rehash of the fight. I'm not the type of person that's going to do a 9K chapter detailing what you can see in canon; that's useless and it turns the reader off. I just needed to do what I deemed was necessary, and that was getting inside the head of Raditz, as well as Goku and Gohan for a bit._

_Just going to put it out here – this isn't your typical Saiyan Saga. It's not going to be a few chapters of training and then the big fight. I'm doing the Saiyan Arc a lot differently – we'll see a movie villain in the arc, for example. What do I mean by Arc? Well, and at least for the Saiyan Saga, there's different arcs to the saga. For example, this is the Raditz arc. _

_Yeah, I'm doing power levels. But, they're just there to have, lol. Look, if fighter A has a PL of 10,000 and fighter B has a PL of 7,000, that doesn't mean fighter A will win. Something I try to do is have fights won on skill and cunningness, not a damn number. _

_Power Levels: _

_Goku: 416_

_Piccolo: 408_

_Raditz: 1200_

_Gohan: 5_

_Gohan's headbutt: 1370_


	2. Chapter 2: Confusion

_Saiyan Saga (Raditz Arc) - Part Two: Confusion_

"STOP IT! LEAVE MY DAD ALONE!" Gohan screamed, running towards Raditz and jumping into the air. With his aura carrying him, Gohan slammed harshly into Raditz's temple. There was a loud crack - something in his body, not the green scouter outfitted on his face - and Raditz's body lurched back. After a short moment of complete silence, the long-haired fighter's knees buckled out from under him; Raditz fell to the ground with a heavy thud and lay still.

And just like that, the threeway fight between the Earth's protector, Son Goku, the reincarnated demon king that was Piccolo Junior, and the evil Saiyan known as Raditz had ended…

"W-what?" questioned Piccolo, his gaze focusing on his downed opponent. In a matter of seconds, the seemingly invincible Raditz had gone from torturing his younger brother to unconscious. All at the hands of a weakling child, no less.

"I...don't know," coughed Goku as air returned to his lungs. "Gohan...how'd he do that? He saved us!"

"He saved _you_!" Piccolo corrected, sneering at his rival. It had been Goku's stupidity to loosen his grip on Raditz that even caused the Earth-raised fighter to end up in his current condition. Of course, Piccolo would never admit that the only reason why he was still even in this dimension was because of the oddly dressed, long-haired brat that was Son Gohan.

"I would have killed him with my attack; you decided to be naive and stop holding onto his tail so tightly! Had you not done that, I would have been able to end his pathetic life with ease." The demon turned around, crossing his arms tightly, shutting his eyes as well.

Goku laughed weakly, cringing as he started fighting off the pain returning to his ribs. Even though the pain kept increasing, it didn't stop the palm-tree haired warrior from raising his head. "That's...a good point, I guess. But notice what happens when we work together? I think we make a pretty good team!"

Snorting, Piccolo didn't even bother to turn around. What Goku had just suggested was absurd, ludicrous even! "Yeah, a _great_ team. By the way, today changes nothing between us, Son. We partnered up to combat a mutual foe, but there still will be a day where you lie near dead at my feet, begging me for mercy and a chance to live."

"I'm waiting for that day, Piccolo." Goku spoke in a more serious tone, narrowing his eyes at the demon's back. "But, thank you for helping me get my son back. I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing," remarked Piccolo, making his way towards the sleeping form of Gohan. Standing above Goku's son, a smirk appeared on the green-skinned creature's face. "Besides, maybe I should take this kid and train him on my own. He knocked your brother out in one hit and it looks like he has serious potential in him."

"Don't do that." Now, Goku's voice was commanding, a tone that Piccolo had never heard from the man he hated oh so much. "Gohan's a child, and there's no way he's going to be a fighter. Maybe I'll teach him the basics, but after today, I want him to-"

"Your loss," Piccolo said, cutting Goku off. "Pamper him as much as you want, but keep in mind that you're making a mistake. Just remember - I won't always be there to save your ass, Son."

"Understood," replied Goku, trying to get up. After a couple of tries - all of which were embarrassing and resulted in him hitting the ground with a soft THUD - the Saiyan found a way to stand on his feet. It wasn't perfect posture, but considering the shape Goku was in, it was more than adequate.

"Damn, I was hoping that you wouldn't get up. I could have just put you out of your misery then and there," remarked Piccolo, the smirk remaining on his face. "Speaking of putting weaklings out of their misery, say goodbye to your brother. He fought valiantly, but it's time for him to die."

Say goodbye to his brother? Time for him to die? That could only mean…"Raditz is alive?!" Goku asked, a cold breeze running across his neck. Just saying the name of the Saiyan invader caused Son Goku's broken ribs to ache.

"Evidently, yes. He's unconscious, but alive." Piccolo strolled around the body, silently taking note of the little signs of damage he and Goku had inflicted. _Embarassing! Unbelievable that Son and I did absolutely nothing to this monster! the demon thought angrily, his emerald-colored fingers wrapping around each other._

"You sure he's alive, Piccolo?" questioned Goku, limping behind his rival. Goku made sure to keep an eye on Piccolo. If the reincarnated demon king was to make any sorts of sneak attack on him, Goku would be ready. Looking down, Goku truly saw how beat up he was: yellow bruises lined his skin, dried cuts surrounded both arms, it even appeared that a bone was sticking out!

_I wish I had a Senzu Bean_, thought the Earth-raised warrior, his mouth watering immediately upon thinking of the delightful, tiny, green bean. _It'd make me feel better; that much is for sure. _

"You can sense energy, so use that to your benefit," Piccolo gruffly ordered, not even bothering to look at the beaten Saiyan behind him. "If you took the time to stop being distracted and to stop asking stupid questions, you'd realize that yes, your brother is alive. Although, given his durability, that's not a shocker."

"Be on your guard, Son. He could be playing some sort of trick on us, like playing dead or something," added the Namekian. Suddenly, Goku's rival stopped in place, stood up straight, and screamed as a new arm suddenly appeared, replacing the old one; feeling the urge to throw up, Goku looked away, directing his eyes to the green grass below.

"You've never seen something like that?" grinned Piccolo, seemingly taking amusement in Goku's reaction to his regenerative abilities. Lavender-colored blood dripped to the ground, even after the new arm settled in its place.

"N-no," said Goku, fighting the desire to go to sleep. It seemed that Son Goku was coming closer to succumbing to his wounds, but he wouldn't allow that to happen. Thinking of just the perfect way to stay awake, Goku decided to feast his eyes on his older brother...then, he regret it. A look of fear and shock plastered on Raditz's face, it was apparent that the fellow Saiyan had no idea what - or, in this case, who - had even hit him.

"Brother…I'm sorry that I never got to know you. I would have loved a rematch with you, or to beat you on my own, but perhaps one day, we'll meet again!'" Goku said, closing his brother's eyes. Even after all the evil his brother had done in the roughly hour and a half that they had known each other, Goku's kindness still showed. Family was family, so while Raditz wasn't the brother Goku had ever dreamed of, they were still blood.

"Alright, you've said your goodbyes, Goku! Now, it's time to end this whole debacle." Piccolo had an emotionless, blank look on his face while he extended a hand forward. Yellow-colored energy showed in the palm of the emerald-colored warrior; for every second that passed by, the energy enlarged...and enlarged...and enlarged.

"Wait, you're gonna kill him?" Goku questioned, eyes snapping open. Now, there was no way that Earth's protector was going to fall asleep. Just hearing the tone in the demon's voice brought Goku's full attention back to the task at hand. "Why would we do that?"

"Is that a joke?" snorted Piccolo, grinning as his blast kept growing. "This is a joke, right? In case you took a blow to the head and forgot, this...Saiyan, is a monster and nearly killed both of us."

Goku nodded, looking at his brother's still face again. "Yeah, that's a good point...b-but he didn't kill anyone or anything!" _At least, I hope he didn't…_ "Besides, killing a downed opponent is wrong, plain wrong. Don't you have a moral code?"

Piccolo's jaw went slack at that comment. "I hope you're joking. You're telling me that I shouldn't end this fool's life because he's unconscious? Goku, this is the same man that took your damn son! He's why you're in the shape that you are right now!"

While the Earth-raised Saiyan and Demon King stared each other down, auras slowly and silently bursting from both fighters, the eyes of an unconscious, long-haired, alien warrior were fluttering open beneath them…

* * *

After a few minutes of being unconscious, slowly, Raditz began to feel himself coming to. His eyes fluttering open, the first thing Raditz heard was a loud THUMP noise; to his surprise, the Saiyan's heart was beating a mile a minute.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

_Ugh...what happened?_ the Saiyan thought, doing his best to at least try to remember how he had ended up in this condition. But...nothing. Raditz could remember absolutely nothing! Clutching his skull, the alien fighter shook his head, hoping his memory would return to him. Alas, for the veteran soldier, there was no such luck.

_Damn...where am I? Why can't I remember?_ Raditz cursed himself for his inability to recall anything. Hearing loud voices talking above him, Raditz's eyes traveled upwards, where he saw two figures arguing with each other. Even with the pain radiating from his brain, Raditz could still make out exactly what the figures looked like.

One was a green-skinned creature, attired in a purple and black fighting outfit. Possessing antennas on his head, the being immediately gave off a bad vibe to Raditz. It was almost as if this man (or whatever it happened to be) was a demon straight from the dark depths of Hell. His hand was extended towards Raditz, but the long-haired man was confused as to why exactly it was like that.

The second figure, however, made Raditz do a double take, almost as if he needed to resee something. The first thing Raditz thought when he laid his eyes on the figure was pity. Wearing a torn, orange shirt, this light-skinned person appeared to have unkempt hair seemingly spiking up from all sides, but that wasn't what made Raditz shudder in disgust. Yellow-colored bruises ran up and down the figure's skin, while dried blood seemed to be absolutely everywhere on this poor man. There was even a discolored mark where a black eye would normally be located!

"I wonder what happened to him," voiced Raditz out loud, finding his voice at last. Suddenly, both figures above ceased their arguing and stared down at him.

"Well, look who decided to wake up!" Piccolo said, a dark tone in his voice. Once the words came out of the Saiyan's mouth, Piccolo's face had shifted from an arguing one to a bemused one within milliseconds. "Did you just say, 'I wonder what happened to him?' You're kidding, right?"

"No," was Raditz's simple reply. His eyes darted to the green man first, then to the spiky-haired fighter. What was happening? "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Funny joke, except I'm not laughing." There was no humor coming from Piccolo.

Raditz cocked his head to the side, confused. "But I'm not joking. I don't remember what happened."

"This isn't amusing. You really don't remember?" Piccolo growled, a vein popping out on his forehead in frustration. Even though the demon suspected Raditz's ploy to be a bluff, something was telling him to keep his guard on for an attack any second.

"Nope."

_This is weird..._Goku thought, using his energy sensing abilities that he had learned from Kami - when the Earth's guardian had trained him - to detect if his brother was lying or not. Much to Goku's shock, there was no sense of deceit or distrust echoing from Raditz's aura. "Hey," the fighter said softly, getting Raditz's attention.

"What's the last thing that you remember?" asked Goku, trying to determine if Raditz had indeed suffered memory loss.

Closing his eyes, Raditz tried once more to remember something, anything!. Yet again, sadly, it failed. "I...don't know," admitted Raditz, bowing his head in shame.

"He's lying, Goku! This is his way of trying to pull a move on us!" Piccolo shouted, his eyes locking with the long-haired Saiyan in front of him. Faster than the eye could see, both of his palms were on Raditz's armor; at the same time, the demon king's lips curved upwards into a smirk. "Say goodbye."

Fear flashed on Raditz's face. In just a matter of minutes, the alien had gone from just waking up, trying to find out where he was and who he was, to facing death in the face. Words attempted to come out of Raditz's mouth, but none did; instead, a slight whimper sounded from his voice.

"Piccolo, no!" Goku cried, bending his exposed knees downwards as it appeared he was going to jump at the demon king. Almost instantly, however, the Saiyan fell to the ground, hacking blood up. Apparently, his body was fighting the idea of it having to do any work and risk further damage. "Ugh.."

Piccolo flashed his fangs at the downed body of his rival. "Look at you, trying to be all noble. It's a damn shame, Son, that nobility is sorely overrated! Now," Piccolo turned his attention back to Raditz, who had sweat rushing down his forehead a mile a minute, "it's time for you to die."

"W-why? I didn't do anything!" whispered Raditz, finally finding his voice. While he would have said more, it took one harsh glare from Piccolo's onyx eyes to quiet him.

"You know what you did. You're strong, I'll give you that much, but I can't allow a being who exceeds me in power like yourself live," remarked Piccolo, his eyes rotating to the sky. From the corner of his peripheral vision, the demon king spotted a blue ship rapidly approaching the wasteland. "Heh, looks like Goku's friends are here. Hear that, Son? You and your friends will all be together soon enough!"

Raditz tried to back up, but nearly tripped over himself in the process. "W-why are you going to kill me?" the Saiyan asked, attempting to stall.

A sly smirk snuck onto Piccolo's face, giving the demon king an even more terrifying look. "I just told you. It's my birthright to rule this world, and an inferior being like you who somehow is stronger than me cannot live. So, while I appreciate the challenge you've given me, your time is at an end. Enjoy Hell, Saiyan, because you'll be spending the rest of your days there-"

"SOLAR FLARE!"

"What?" growled Piccolo, covering his eyes once his ears picked up the call. There'd be no blinding of him today; no way. The next thing he felt was a hard chop, a powerful one, to the side of his neck. It was a sneak attack, enough to make Piccolo's eyes bulge out of his skull. How dare someone attack him when he wasn't looking! Wait, it wasn't just any someone...no, it had to be Goku!

That naive moron's time on this Earth was over, and Piccolo decided immediately that he wasn't even going to waste any more time sparing the man who had partnered with today; rather, the demon would stand triumphantly over his corpse, laughing to the heavens as the loved ones cursed him for eliminating -

Pain.

All Piccolo, the demon king who was on the verge of eliminating the most powerful opponent the Earth had ever seen, could feel was pain shooting through his entire body. The pain took over, sapping the creature of all his his strength. His vision, remarkable for any sort of living organism, started to fade in and out rapidly.

The last thing Piccolo saw was Raditz cocking his head, confused. Curses began to form in the demon's throat, but he wouldn't be able to express them orally as he crumpled to the ground, a moan leaving his throat once the feeling of unconsciousness took over.

"Damn it, Piccolo," Goku muttered, grabbing his chest. With the speed of a turtle chasing a turtle, Goku approached his brother, staring at Piccolo's unconscious form with distaste. "I told you to spare him, but you chose not to! Instead, you wanted to make things messy."

"Y-you saved me!" Raditz exclaimed jovially, raising an arm in the air to celebrate. Then, his head cocked to the right again. "But...why?"

"I...couldn't let him kill you. You lost your memory; it'd be wrong for him to do that." Goku's voice quivered slightly, and it almost seemed like he was going to collapse. The Earth-raised Saiyan stayed strong, however, and kept his balance.

Raditz crossed his arms, but a smile showed on his face. "I thank you. Now, you seem to know about me. Would you mind, well, telling me who I am? Or even tell me who you are?"

Goku froze. Internally, the Saiyan was having the biggest debate he had ever had the pain of having - even more than whether or not to spare Piccolo after the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai five years prior. The question on his mind, naturally, was how much information should the Saiyan disclose to the amnesiac man that was his brother. How much information would be too much before Raditz might regain his memory; the last thing Goku wanted to do was get into another fight, especially in his current condition.

What would his adoptive grandfather do in a situation like this? After all, it had been Son Gohan, the man who had found Goku when he was only a child - not the unconscious child lying a few feet away of course - that had installed all of his morals and beliefs into the spiky-haired alien he adopted. Fighting fairly, respecting women, sparing your opponents...without Gohan's tutelage, Goku shuddered to think of what he would have become.

Then, he remembered exactly what he would have become - a Saiyan.

"Hey!" Raditz nudged Goku, who, without his usual strength, fell over onto a rock. As Goku cried in pain, Raditz cringed. "Oops! I-I'm so sorry!"

"It's...fine." Goku stopped mid-sentence to cough, hacking up blood in the process. "Anyways...your name. Your name is Raditz; my name is Goku. We're brothers." Goku paused here, letting Raditz sink all the information in. Goku may not have been the smartest by any means - far from it, in fact - but even he knew that spouting all the information at once would be disastrous for his brother's state of mind.

"Raditz…" the long-haired fighter tested his name out loud. "Raditz...I like it. You...you remind me of someone. Bardock."

_Bardock?_ "Wait, what's a Bardock? How much do you remember?" pressed Goku, eyes getting to the size of saucers. If Raditz could remember some obscure thing like Bardock, then how long would it be until he remembered his -

"Bardock...I can't remember what exactly who - or what - it was, but when I look at you, the word Bardock comes to me," answered Raditz truthfully, no signs of dishonesty on his face. "Well, regardless, thank you, Goku."

"It's...no problem," Goku said, smiling a grin that was his trademark. "Listen, I hear my friends arriving. Would you like to come with me and meet them?" the Saiyan extended his hand, wanting for his brother to shake it.

Without a moment's hesitation, Raditz put his hand forward, clasped Goku's, and shook tightly. "Of course, _brother._"

With the act of starting a relationship done, Raditz and Goku walked side by side to meet the arriving Earthlings, both possessing smiles on their faces and a new, happier mindset for the time to come…

* * *

_After starting junior year of high school, continuing my internship, taking more steps toward publishing my first professional article, and taking the PSATS, I've finally returned for a new chapter of Trials and Tribulations. This fic isn't dead, and I'm looking forward to writing more and more of it!_

_Here's the deal. I'm coming to a point in my junior year where I'm going to have more free time to write, so expect more updates of this and SC. SC is actually pretty far into chapter 20, and you'll see it soon. Please don't beg for updates; doing so will result in me taking more time to publish. :P_

_Now, let's get some things out of the way, so that they're not asked anytime soon. As I stated in chapter one, there will be a movie character in the Saiyan Saga. I am planning on using characters from the Dragon Ball Z franchise in this story regardless if you consider them canon or not. This includes movie characters, OVA characters, characters who may have just been in filler etc. So, everyone from Garlic Jr. to Cooler to Maron is game. I address this so that you guys know what the deal is. :)_

_Also, it's looking like we're going to have some fan art for this fic. No Tenkaichi Edits, because I don't communicate with the guys who do it, so it'd be something drawn out. You can follow my DeviantArt at SecondChanceDBZ which is where all pictures will be. :D_

_Now, I'm sure someone may say that Raditz was OOC at many points in this chapter. Fair point; he is out of character because he's an amnesiac. I'm not making him a carbon copy of Goku, but early on, don't expect to see the ruthless, sadistic warrior we're so fond of. Later on? Maybe, you'll see. :P_

_Finally...for old readers of mine, you know the deal. For new readers, I like to do a question and answer at the end of each chapter. It's my little way of interacting with the readers; you're free to skip, but it's fun to sometimes read! I answer most reviews, but if you do something like good chapter update soon, I'm not responding here :P I address reviews that ask questions or focus on certain aspects of the fic or my writing; not that I don't like the good chapter reviews (I do, a lot), but I don't want to blow my own horn. :) With this chapter, only a couple to respond to._

_R: I'm almost thankful that you changed how the fight is played out. You have no idea just how many people copy canon word for word that it's like...I can watch the anime for that, ya know? I like how you get into the head of Raditz; you could almost feel the irritation he displays towards his brother. And Goku...man oh man have you made Raditz sadistic. I like it._

_A: Glad you liked Raditz's sadism. Even though he's amnesiac, doesn't mean we won't not see his sadism again (semi-spoiler). Like I said in the A/N, making a 10K recap of a fight like this is useless, and I wanted to do things differently. Hope you'll stick along for the ride!_

_R: Ahh, Fullpower. You know when I saw this fanfic I was mildly interested. Once I got to the AN at the bottom and seen ''Second Chance'', I looked to see who the author was. Should have looked at that first before anything else. Anyway, I love your fanfics and is interested in this one._

_A: I liked this review for the sole reason that it was my name that made you interested. :P Hope your interest grew with this chapter!_

_R: I really liked your reasoning as to why Raditz was so pissed at Goku - willing to kill Goku. "Kakarot had wasted Raditz's time, and worse, he had betrayed him. Kakarot had turned his back on the only family that he had left, and for that, he would die." is honestly the most succinct reasoning that I've ever read in a story. I'm sick of the whole "He wanted to kill him because he was a proud Saiyan warrior" excuse, your explanation is what I'll be thinking of about this matter from now on._

_A: Thanks for the kind words. I wanted to try to characterize Raditz early on, and make a legit, logical reason for him wanting to kill Goku. Glad you'll be using that from now on; that means I did what I wanted to do! ^_^_

_R: From this its obviously hard to tell just how this is all going to spin off course from canon, but from what you've said it sounds like it is going to go down some very different directions than may be expected. Plus with Raditz having amnesia, how much he remembers and what memories he may get back can all feed into a very good character development._

_A: I mean off the bat it doesn't seem like much will change (at least, I think so), but a lot will. Raditz regaining his memories (or rather, some memories) will be a huge component to the story, both in the near future and the far future._

_R: I can't wait to read about Raditz waking up with amnesia, hopefully I get to in the next chapter. Love it!_

_A: Kind words from Ms. ImaginaryInk, writer of several excellent BulmaXVegeta fics. And guess what? You did get to see! :)_

_FP out. See ya'll soon!_


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